The present invention relates to a tissue retractor and, more particularly, to a tissue retractor that includes an inflatable tissue retractor head. The present invention also relates to a passive diffusion system which can be integrated into, or used along with the retractor of the present invention.
Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is a surgical technique in which a body cavity (e.g. abdominal cavity) is accessed via several small incisions as opposed to the large incision access used in open surgery.
Surgical tools are inserted into the body cavity through ports positioned within the small incisions with the actuating handles of the surgical tools positioned outside the body. The surgeon manipulates the surgical tool via the handle while viewing the operative field on a video feed provided by a camera and a light source mounted on a rod inserted through one of the ports.
During minimally invasive surgery, the surgeon is required to expose and handle delicate tissues deep within the body cavities. This requires creation and maintenance of a surgical workspace large enough to enable the surgeon to view and work within the treatment area without damaging surrounding tissues.
To provide the surgeon with a good view of the operative filed, the body cavity is usually insufflated with carbon dioxide gas and organs that obstruct the field of view of the camera and block access to the treatment area are retracted using a tissue retractor.
Tissue retractors are generally inserted into the body cavity in a collapsed conformation through an additional port, and are then expanded within the body and either held by an assistant or fixed to an object such as the operating table.
Tissue retractors known in the art typically utilize mechanically deployable arms/fingers (the Endo Retract™ by BioMedicon), baskets (A-Lap by EZSurgical) or hooks (Virtual Ports) which can be used to sweep and/or move tissue organs out of the treatment area. Inflatable retractors are also known in the art (e.g. Extrahand™ Balloon Retractor by BioMedicon), however due to their simple paddle-like configuration such retractors are more suitable for containing tissue than retracting it.
Although prior art mechanical retractors can be effectively used to retract and contain tissue, use thereof typically carries a tradeoff between creation and maintenance of an adequate surgical workspace and retractor-induced damage to surrounding tissues.
There is thus a need for a tissue retractor that can be used to safely and effectively retract and contain tissue thus providing a surgical workspace while minimizing damage to surrounding tissues.